SYNOPSIS: An enterprising black man in the 1930s hustles his way to power and wealth only to be tormented by all those he has wronged in the end.

CONCEPT IN RELATION TO THE VIEWER: A morality play that shows the pitfalls of vice and corruption. Early serious black cinema with a message.

PROS AND CONS: The film is dated and shows it, but as an historical document it is a treasure trove of performances and culture that have been lost or forgotten in the modern cinema.

Robson commands the screen in this film, having performed the play for years prior to making the film.

By today’s standard the film is terribly politically incorrect, but not so much in its day. This was apartheid America and it shows in every scene. The film becomes long in the end with the extended dream sequences that come back to haunt the Emperor. In the end a great film that shows the pitfalls of not doing things the right way.